My Plein Air Adventures
Plein Air is where I share stories of how I attempt to capture the beauty of the outdoors through painting and observation.
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And that went fast
And that went fast – Summer. What the heck happened? How is it possible you are leaving us so soon? It seem like you were only a blur this year. Anyone else feel this way? Oh, I know we can all be too busy – but this time of year I stop to smell the roses. Literally! I always say that is the sun is out…I’m out. Only this year the sun was elusive, the weather was wet, often smokey and incredible humid! And a lot of the blooms literally rotted on the bush. Yes, I know you know but I feel obligated to complain a bit more and remind…
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Lots of work happening
I’ve been keeping busy with lots of works developing in my home studio. I am so grateful to be able to have this creative space and be able to keep nice and warm painting. Fresh off the easel: Choppy Waters Oh the joy I experienced painting this one. I loved the freedom of arm movements painting the waves. Felt like I was dancing. The reference photos for this painting were taken at the mouth of the Bay of Fundy. The place where the Atlantic starts to flow into a channel between New Brunswick and Nova Scotia and forming the Bay. This area is not far from Old Sow Whirlpool which…
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Thoughts of Spring
I can’t help myself, whenever the sun come out this time of year I get spring fever! The days are noticeably longer and I imagine the sun is actually warmer. So much so that I started a painting of Rockwood Park in the spring. I needed a change of colour…just kidding. Fresh off the Easel Spring Promises 24 x 20” oil on gallery wrap canvas I’m so pleased with this painting. You may recall that I have been focusing much of my Plein Air work on painting skies. What I have learned from all this is that the sky needs to be painted in one session. It is so important…
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My Journey into Plein Air…so far
This is a Learning Journey Initially my goal was to focus on sea and sky, and in particular, skies. For years I painted with watercolours mainly because I was confident with the media and it’s portability. To be fair, when I started Plein Air painting I was pretty much an accomplished studio watercolour painter. I thought the transition to Plein Air would be easy for me. For the most part it was. My first attempt with water mixable oils was another story altogether. I was attempting to paint in a high altitude desert in Wyoming. I certainly didn’t know my materials and certainly was unprepared for the dry mountain air. …
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Artwork, My Painting Process, My Plein Air Adventures, Scapes - Coastal and Land, Travelling Colours
May you live in interesting times…
My father had a quote that he used to like to say quite often and it really was both a blessing and a curse. May you live in interesting times Well, 2020 proved to be a clear reflection of the meaning of that expression. So much to be grateful for and yet so much uncertainty. 2020 clearly a year of many changes Personally I made a number of changes in my world. I made the decision to leave my day job so I could dedicate more time to painting. This was truly one of the best decisions ever. Ironically though, with this decision, came the reality of isolating away in…
